Cabinet door hinge mechanism



June 11, 195 E- E. SUTHERLAND CABINET DOOR HINGE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 16, 1953 FIGS.

INVENTOR ERNEST E.SUTHER LAND ATTORNEY CABlNET DOOR GE MECHANISM Ernest E. Sutherland, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 16, 1953, Serial No. 398,474 4 Claims. (or. 312-214 This invention relates to a hinge. mechanism for mounting a cabinet closure or door, such as an oven door.

Many double-panel oven doors are constructed with the hinge member on the door secured within the insulating space between the panels and pivotally attached to the end of a fixed hinge blade extending from the oven frame and received through a slot in the rear panel of the door. In such doors it is impossible to attach a completely assembled door to the fixed hinge blade without providing some means to make the end of the blade accessible for the insertion of a hinge pin.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for easily attaching a prefabricated door to a fixed hinge member wherein the hinge mechanism is substantially completely hidden between the front and rear panels of the door.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for assembling a double-panel door on an oven frame wherein a hinge pin is easily fitted into a blind hole in a hinge member between the door panels by being accurately aligned with said hole during assembly.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hinge pin which can be easily inserted into the door and moved to its assembled position within the door after the door is completely assembled.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing in part an oven and oven door, with the latter in the open position and with a part thereof cut away to show a completely assembled hinge mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the hinge pin member in a position corresponding to a preliminary step of assembly;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the hinge pin shown in a position corresponding to an intermediate step of assembly;

Fig. 6 is a section taken along line VI-VI of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section taken along lines VII-VII of Figs. 2 and 3; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the left hinge pin member shown in Fig. 1.

The oven structure comprises a body 1, within which is secured an oven liner 2. The body is formed with a front opening 4 in registry with the open front of the liner to provide access to the oven. A double panel door 3 is pivotally mounted to the body 1 for closing the open ing 4.

Hinge members 20 and 20' are secured in the space between the front and rear panels 11 and 12 of the door and are pivotally attached by hinge pin members 40 and 40 to fixed hinge members 30 and 30' attached to the body 1.

Since all the parts of the left hinge mechanism of Fig. 1 are mirror images of the parts of the right hinge (and where shown are designated by the same reference numerals with the prime mark added), the following discussion of the right hinge mechanism of Fig. 1, which is shown in detail in Figures 2 through 7, will suffice for both.

The fixed hinge member 30 is made of fiat stock and is provided with a tab 31 secured to the inner side of the front wall of the frame 1. The blade portion 32 of member 30 extends outwardly and then downwardly from the frame 1.

The front and rear panels 11 and 12 are provided with peripheral rims 13 and 14, respectively, which are adapted to be attached to secure the front and rear panels in spaced relationship. The rear panel 12 is provided near the lower right corner with a slot 15 which receives the hinge blade 32.

The movable or door hinge member 20 is made of flat stock and comprises a flat body portion 22, which is disposed against the inner side of the rear panel 12, and a flange 21 extending perpendicularly to the body 22 and attached, as by welding, to the peripheral rim 14 for attaching the hinge member 20 to the door. It further includes a hinge arm or flange 23 bent at right angles to the body portion 22 and disposed parallel to and adjacent the end of the hinge blade 32, which extends through the slot 15 to the interior of the door.

The fixed hinge member 30 is provided with a hole near the end of the blade 32 for receiving a hinge pin.

Likewise, the hinge arm 23 is provided with a hole which is coaxially aligned with the hole in the blade 32 when the door is in the position shown in Fig. 1. In this position, a hinge pin 41 may be pushed through the holes in the arm 23 and the blade 32. The hinge pin 41 forms part of a hinge pin member 40, which further comprises a generally L-shaped hinge pin support formed of flat stock and having a first leg 42 and a second leg 43, the' legs being angularly disposed relative to each other and joined at the bend 44. The hinge pin 41 is attached to the leg 43 parallel to, and on the side opposite, the leg 42.

To provide for insertion of the hinge pin 41 and the leg 43 into the interior of the door, the body portion 22 is formed with a rectangular opening 24, and the rear panel 12 is formed with an opening 16 which registers with the opening 24 but extends beyond it.

The hinge pin member 40 is so constructed that when positioned within the door, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the end of the pin is substantially aligned with the openings in the hinge arm 23 and the hinge blade 32. Also, when the hinge pin member 40 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 2, that portion of. the leg 42 which is adjacent the bend 44 substantially covers the opening 24 in the door hinge member 20.

The sides of the opening 16 in the rear panel are adjacent and parallel to the side edges of the leg 42, as shown in Fig. 7 and by the dotted lines of Figs. 3 and 6. The sides of the opening limit transverse movement of the leg 42 and thereby insure that the pin 41 will be guided squarely through the hole in the hinge arm 23 during assembly.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 6, the axis of the pin 41 is shown offset with respect to the center line of the leg 42. This offset permits the pivotal axis of the door, which is determined by the location of the pin and the hole in arm 23, to be located very close to the lower edge of the door without requiring that the opening 16, which accommodates the leg 42, be moved to the extreme lower edge of the rear door panel.

The assembly of the hinge mechanism is carried out by first supporting the preassembled door adjacent the Patented June 11,. 1951 front of the oven so that the holes in the door hinge arm 23 and in the fixed hinge blade 32 are in alignment. The hinge pin member 40 is inserted in the door to the position shown in Fig. 4 by passing the pin 41 and the leg 43 through the opening 24 in the door hinge body portion 22. The bend or knee 44 in the hinge pin support is moved into engagement with the edge 25 of the opening 24 remote from the hinge arm 23. The member 49 is then pivoted counterclockwise (Figs. 2, 4 and 5) about this edge 25 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5 to substantially align the pin with the hole in the arm 23. The hinge pin member 40 is slid from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 2 with the hinge pin being moved through the holes in the arm 23 and blade 32. The leg 42 of the hinge pin member 40 is then secured to the door hinge member 20 by means of a screw 47.

In the illustrated embodiment, the body portion 22 of the hinge member 20 is shown relatively narrow for the purpose of clarity of illustration oit' other parts. It will be apparent, however, that it may .be made as wide as necessary to provide the desired strength, and may extend further in the direction of the top of the door.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a cabinet or the like, the combination of a body having an access opening, a door for closing said access opening, said door having spaced front and rear panels, a hinge'mechanism for hinging said door to said body, said hinge mechanism comprising a hinge blade attached to said body, a hinge member secured within said door, a hinge pin member, said rear panel having an opening therein, said hinge member having a hinge pin receiving arm and a flat body portion adjacent and parallel to the inner side of said rear panel closing said panel opening, said blade extending within said door adjacent said arm, said blade and said arm having coaxial or aligned openings therein to receive a hinge pin, said fiat body portion having an opening exposed by said panel opening and providing access to the opening in said arm, said hinge pin member comprising an L-shaped support and a hinge pin attached to one leg of the support and extending therefrom at the end and on the side remote from the other leg, said hinge pin and said one leg being insertable into said door through the opening in the body portion of the hinge member, said hinge pin member being so constructed and arranged that the hinge pin is brought into substantial alignment with said aligned openings when the pin and said one leg are positioned within the door with said other leg extending away from said blade and lying adjacent the outer rear side of the door, said hinge pin member then being movable parallel to the axis of said aligned openings to insert said pin therein, and means for attaching said other leg to structure carried by the door to retain the hinge pin in said coaxial openings.

2. In a cabinet or the like, the combination of a body provided with an access opening, a door for closing said access opening and having spaced front and rear panels, a hinge mechanism for hingedly mounting said door to said body, said hinge mechanism comprising a hinge member mounted on said body, a hinge flange attached to said door adjacent said member, said member and said flange having coaxial openings aligned with 'the space between said panels to receive a hinge pin, one of said panels having a small opening adjacent said flange,

4 a hinge pin member comprising a pin secured to one leg of a support having a pair of angularly disposed legs, the other leg of said support extending substantially parallel to said pin, said pin and said other leg being disposed on opposite sides of said one leg, said pin and said one leg being adapted to be inserted through said panel opening during assembly, said hinge pin member being so constructed and arranged that the hinge pin is positioned in substantial alignment with said aligned openings by positioning said other leg against structure on the outer side of the door after inserting said pin and said one leg through said panel opening, said hinge pin member then being movable in said panel opening parallel to the axis of said aligned openings to insert said pin therein, and means for anchoring said other leg to said door to secure said pin in said aligned opentags.

3. In a cabinet or the like, the combination of a body provided with ian access opening, a door for closing said access opening and having spaced front and rear panels, said rear panel having an opening, a movable hinge member secured within said door and occupying said panel opening, said hinge member having a hole exposed by said panel opening, a fixed hinge member mounted on said body, said hinge members having adjacent coaxial openings aligned with the space between said panels, a hinge pin extending through said coaxial openings, a support attached to said pin, said pin and one end of said support being constructed and adapted to pass through said hole during assembly, the other end of said support being fixed with respect to said pin to positon the latter in substantial alignment with said coaxial openings when said other end engages structure on the outer rear door surface and extends from said hole in the direction away from said fixed hinge member, said support then being movable in said hole parallel to the axis of said openings to insert said pin thereinto, and means for securing the other end of said support to said door.

4. In a cabinet or the like, the combination of a body having an access opening, a door for closing said access opening, said door having spaced front and rear panels, and a hinge mechanism for hingedly mounting said door to said body, said hinge mechanism comprising a stationary hinge member mounted on said body and having a portion extending into said door, a movable hinge mem' ber attached to said door and disposed within the space between said front and rear panels, said stationary and movable hinge members having adjacent portions formed with coaxial openings aligned with the space between said panels and adapted to receive a hinge pin, a hinge pin member comprising a support having a pair of angularly disposed legs and a hinge pin attached to one leg and extending therefrom at the end and on the side remote from the other leg, there being adjacent said hinge members an opening in the door through which said hinge pin and a portion of said support may be inserted into the door, said last-mentioned opening and the parts of the hinge pin member being relatively located and so constructed that as said support engages structure adjacent said opening after said hinge pin is positioned Within the door, the pin is brought into alignment with one of said coaxial openings, said hinge pin member then being movable parallel to the axis of said openings to insert said hinge pin thereinto, and means for attaching said other leg to structure carried by the door to retain the hinge pin in said coaxial openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

